Treading Dark
by DC111
Summary: "My sincerest greetings to thee. I am Artorias, knight of Lord Gwyn. I've come to aid Oolacile." An intimate glimpse into Artorias's journey, his encounter with Sif, and his descent into corruption as he challenges the abyss, a place where even the best lie exposed. Or perhaps it is the best, the most pure, that were always vulnerable. After all, bright light casts a dark shadow...


Ah, hello! I've been tossing this story idea back and forth for a few weeks. It's about Artorias before he was corrupted by the abyss… and eventually _as _he's being corrupted by the abyss, which I imagine was a slower process than just an overnight change. It'll cover a lot of implied moments, like Artorias meeting Sif, going to Oolacile, making a covenant with the Dark in order to walk the abyss, and the like. Sounds tame enough put like that, but I'm determined to make it intense and capture the supposedly unbendable knight that Artorias was before things went awry. After all, many great moments and struggles had to have accompanied Artorias's journey, and the eventual loss of sanity that we see when we finally encounter him.

Hope you enjoy this little start. :)

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**_Treading Dark_**

Rating: T for violence and dark themes.

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When Artorias first encountered the Great Gray Wolf, he was little more than a pup. Under the thick coat of fur, the canine's skin was taut over its rapidly growing form. Even so, the young creature was large, about the size of the common wolf.

It was a tense moment to be sure, but one that neither of them would forget.

They were in the middle of the Royal Forest. Artorias had just spoken to Elizabeth, the unusual mushroom woman, and was on his way to Oolacile to investigate an occurrence that Gwyn had warned him about ages ago. He had guessed this wolf was just one of many animals in the forest, but now, he realized that look in its eyes was way too… sentient.

When that intent gaze didn't leave his own, Artorias slowly, carefully drew his greatsword from its sheath. He would be a fool to make any sudden movements, but just as much a fool to render himself defenseless. This animal was staring him down. Gauging him. Challenging him, perhaps, though he couldn't be sure.

Artorias had slain many creatures, but only ones that truly would have harmed him. If this wolf was merely protecting its territory, then he would pull back and circle around; it was no trouble to him.

Testing this notion, the knight took a few gradual steps backward, trying to look docile. The wolf strode forward to keep their distance even.

"Go now!" Artorias hollered. "Away with you, beast!"

In response, said beast growled lowly.

"Away!" Artorias said again, this time lunging forward and swinging his sword in an arc. He deliberately missed, hoping to scare the wolf off and leave this forest as lively and harmonious as it was upon his entering it.

When the sword finished its slash, leaving Artorias open for the briefest of moments, the animal pounced.

Suddenly Knight Artorias was on his back, his sword stuck in the ground beside him as he attempted to break his own fall. The canine's paws, clawed and dirty, pushed down on his shoulders. But not enough to keep him from lifting one arm at the elbow. He managed to reach the wolf's chest and pushed back, hoping to keep those sharp teeth from reaching him.

To his surprise, the wolf barked a quick, playful bark, then hopped off of Artorias to run in a circle.

Just as quickly as he had fallen, Artorias rose to full stature again, heart racing. He couldn't believe that wolf had come at him hard enough and high enough to take him down. Artorias was taller than an ordinary human, and more stable, so that was no easy feat – or at least, it wasn't supposed to be. He pulled his sword out of the ground and pointed its tip at the unpredictable creature. The wolf cocked its head for a moment and, when the tip of the sword didn't drop, let out some amalgamation of a growl and a whine.

"What?" Artorias said, as if the wolf could understand him, because now he wouldn't be surprised if that were true. He had taken a swing at the wolf with his sword; a pseudo-attack meant to chase the wolf off but not hurt him. The wolf had just done the same in return, tackling him to the ground yet not harming him. This did not go unnoticed by the divine knight and he had to admire the creature's intelligence. After another moment he sheathed his weapon and let his hands drop to his sides.

The wolf was half-laying, with his butt up in the air and tail wagging. The knight had to smile. Just a lonely beast with some extra energy. By the looks of it, the wolf was very young, but way too large to be as young as his eyes and face made him seem. It didn't quite make sense. Wolves weren't supposed to be quite _that _big... but then, Artorias supposed many humans looked at him and thought the same.

"Well, two of a kind, are we not?" The lord's knight said with a chuckle. "I suppose we can both be grateful for our lives today."

The wolf probably couldn't understand his words, but certainly understood the much softer tone. It was the first moment of many moments that would link together to form an unbreakable friendship. And as far as Artorias was concerned, a friend needed to have a name, a proper way to be addressed. So the wolf became known as Sif – a name that would be known to many, as would the name of Sir Artorias himself.

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Well, there's the beginning of this little tale. Please let me know what you think! Also, I'm more than open to ideas, so if there is anything in particular you would like to see or think would fit well with this premise, do tell! See ya next time.


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